Thomas samson



lUNirn rains PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS SAMSON, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING STAVES 0R BILLETS OF CAST-IRON FOR PACKING TOBACCO, &c., INTO SQUARE BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2,090, dated May l1, 1841.

To all whom it may cor/warn.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS SAMsoN, of the city of Richmond, in the Stateyof Virginia, have invented an improved stave or billet to be used in the pressing or prizing of tobacco into square boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

I make four staves or billets of cast-iron, each of which is a longitudinal section of a cylinder, the curved side of each .being nearly equal to one-fourth of the periphery of such cylinder, and their flat sides nearly equal to the width of the box which the staves or billets are to embrace. These staves or billets I cast holhollow, strengthening them by a suitable brace or braces, crossing said hollow-and giving to them the thickness necessary to enable them to sustain the strain to which they are to be subjected. In order that these billets may be used with boxes unavoidably varying a little in size, I make them with a miterjoint along their contiguous edges, and so that when strained up they will not be in actual contact with each other. For boxes of differentsiz'es sets of staves adapted thereto must necessarily be provided. 'Ihese staves, being applied to the boxes, are to be surrounded by bands and keyed up in the ordinary man ner, and any desired degree of pressure may then be safely applied to the tobacco without danger of their giving way.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows the end view of a box, A, in which tobacco is to be prized, the said box being surrounded by the four hollow cast-iron staves or billets B B, strengthened by cross-braces a c, and formed with miter-joints at their edges b b. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the appara tus when ready to go under the press c c, being the bands and keys used to brace the whole together.

Instead of making the staves or billets so that when put together they shall form a cylinder, I intend sometimes so to form their peripheries as that when put together they shall constitute a frustum ofv a cone, or be in the form of two conical frustums jpined together at their bases. These latter modes of construction will admit of each of the hoops or bands which are to embrace the staves being made in one continuous undivided piece, to be driven on from one or both ends of the staves, as the case may be.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention and shown the manner in which the same is applied to use,what I claim therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The constructing and using of four staves or billets of cast-iron or other suitable metal, said staves being cast hollow,and having their contiguous edges formed with a miterjoint,or in such manner as will admit of their being drawn together by means ofthe bands or hoops by which they and the contained box are to vbe embraced when in use, the Whole being constructed and operating substantially in the manner herein fully set forth and made known.

THOMAS SAMSON. Vitnesses:

WM. R. MYERs,

JAMns E. GoDDIN. 

